While it might be a duh moment to you, I think its actually an interesting point. Despite being interactive most game-play itself does not trigger strong emotions. The only counter example I can think of is the rare times when you are forced to pull the trigger yourself on a main character(well done in the ending of Metal Gear Solid 3 and the Darkness). And even then, the emotional attachment was built up by narrative, not by interaction.

Actually this makes me remember that part of the Darkness where you just sit on the couch with Jenny, if you choose to. Maybe we're getting closer to proving this guy wrong after all.